Exercising device



oct. 22, 1940. M, BROERG 2,219,086

EXERCISING DEVICE Filed March 9, 1940 Patented Oct. 22, 1940 iilvi'rEol STATES *PATENTS iOFFIci-:i

ExERcIsING DEVICE Manfred Broberg, Kingston, N..Y. Application March 9, 1940,' seria1Nasziisj, s U l 40mm. y (o1. 12s-5v)` This invention is a novel device for exercising and for physically treating patients, and the present invention is an improvement upon the device disclosed in my U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,123,765,

dated July 12, 1938. v f

Active leg movements and foot massage, simultaneously applied, increase the circulation of blood in the arteries, capillaries and veins. By increasing the now of blood to the lower extremities `an increased nutrition is carried to that part of the body. Likewise, by increasing the veinous circulation, the waste-matter resulting from changesin the tissue is collected and carried to those organs by which it is nally discharged l5 from thebody.

The principal object thereof is to provide` a devicespecially adapted for home treatment of leg and foot ailments due to impaired circulation, weak or fallen arches, stiffness or pain in ankles,

30 knees, or the like, whereby the patient may actively massage portions of his body while simultaneously exercising the ligaments and muscles of his lower extremities, such as his feet and legs, to improve the blood circulation in said parts, utilizing simple activemassaging movements performed by the patient himself, the-motive power utilized to operate the device being supplied by the patients legs and feet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the above character comprising a pair of novel rotatable massaging rollers adapted to be engaged by the patients feet and embodying means for causing simultaneous rotation of the rollers in opposite directions whereby a forward foot movement on the top of one roller Will rctate said roller in one direction, while automatically causing the other roller to rotate in the opposite direction. The use of two rollers conforms with the basic principle that alternating 4U muscular contraction and relaxation increases the circulation of blood in the arteries, capillaries, and veins, and provides an increase in nutrition whether it be muscular, ligamentous, or bony tissue. Muscular irritability and fatigue is les- 45 sened by increase in blood circulation, and the muscles, ligaments, nerves and bones become stronger and more elastic. The alternating contraction and relaxation in my device is accomplished by forward movement by the patients so foot over one roller, and relaxation of the patients other foot and leg while its related roller in engagement therewith is being rotated in the opposite direction.

A further object is to provide said rollers with as spirally disposed grooves adapted, when the rollers are rotating, to facilitate'-removal of ltissue waste from the feetand tothu's increase the circulationvof blood which is lthe main object of any massage treatment.l f

A still further A.object -of the invention'is to 'pro- 5 vide a device Vof the. aboyecharacter withvibrating means to` further increase blood circulation.

I will explain ,-.th'e invention withreference vto the .accompanying drawing, krlvvliiilfi illustrates one practican embodiment, thereof, to enaue othrsto w adopt and use the same;l and'will summarize, in the claims, ,the yIlm/'al,features,o f construction, and novel combinations'of parts,for' which protectionjis desired.

In said'drawin'g:` i" 15 Fig. 1f is a top plan View ofl'vmy'exercising'v device equipped with a vibrator; f V

. Fig. 2 is 'a transve eA` ertical section otr-the 1ne,2;2-Figl l Fig. 3 is a top plan View of a modifiedr form o-f 20 device, with the vibrator omitted.

My novel exercising device, shown in Figs. 1 and 2, comprises a base l of general rectangular shape having tWo pairs of parallel walls 2 2 rand 3 3 mounted on the upper surface thereof, the 25 pairs of walls being 'disposed adjacent opposite sides of the base with a space therebetween, for the purpose hereinafter explained.

Mounted between the walls 2 2 and 3 3 are axially aligned rollers 4 and 5 respectively of any 30 desired size and shape, same preferably comprising molded rubber collars xedly mounted upon metal shafts 4a,15a, respectively, journaled in ball bearings 2a, 3a respectively in openings in the walls 2 and 3, rollers 4 and 5 having annular en- 35 largements 4b, 5b respectively at their ends, and having spirally disposed grooves 4c, 5c respec- -tively therein, whereby as the rollers are rotated the grooves 4c, 5c will exert a massaging action on the heels, arches or balls of the patients feet, to assist in removing waste tissue and to increase blood circulation.

Shafts 4a, 5a of the rollers carry beveled pinions 4d, 5d respectively at their inner ends meshing with a bevel pinion 6 journaled on a ball bear- 45 ing 'l mounted on base l between the pinions 4d, 5d, whereby rotation of one roller Will impart rotation to the other roller inthe opposite direction. Pinion 6 is heldin place on bearing 1 by a screw 8, and the tension on the rollers 4 and 5 50 may be regulated by adjusting screw 8.

A vibrator is preferably mounted on base l comprising an electric motor 9 secured to the base and carrying on its shaft an eccentric Weight I0 disposed adjacent gears 4d, 5d, whereby as the 55 roller. .Then,

motor is actuated, the entire device will be vibrated to further increase blood circulation.

A cover member I I is provided over the pinions 4d, 4d, also over the motor 9 and weight I0, said cover member comprising a plate having flanges at its sides adapted to frictionally engage the inner walls 2 and 3, and having anges at its ends extending downwardly to meet the base I, suitable slots being provided in the flanges for the shafts 4a, 5a, and for the electric lead wire Saof the motor 9, whereby the cover may be readily lifted from the base I to give access to the underlying parts.

Rods I2 are provided between the pairs of walls 2 and 3 at the front of the base, disposed'horizontally at the approximate height of the tops `of rollers 4 and 5, to act as guardsto prevent the. heels of the patients feet from slipping off the rollers. t In Fig. 3 va modification is shown in which the device is similar in all-respect torthat shown in Figs; 1-2, except that the vibrator 9-I0 is omitted from base I, and cover I Iis made correspondingrly smaller so as to cover only the gears 4d, 5d andi; alsono provision is made in the shape of the base for mounting the vibrator motor thereon. l In operationLthe patient rst adjusts the seat of his chair with respect tothe device so that one leg is at right angles with vthe thigh, and with his toes resting on one roller; the other foot with leg extended resting with the heel on the opposite d with a firm pressure on the top of the" rollers, the patient rotates alternately each c roller forwardly, covering the, full length of the related foot, while the footon the opposite roller is perfectly relaxed; and the alternate contractionand relaxationv of the muscles constitute the exercise by which'the flow' of blood through the Vin 'another direction.

2. In combination with a device as set forth in claim l, means on the base substantially level with the tops of the rollers for holding the pa.-

tients heels engaged with the rollers.

3. In a device for actively massaging the ligaments and muscles of a patients feet and legs; a

base having aligned pairs of spaced walls; a pair of axially aligned rollers rotatably mounted in the respective pairs of walls and adaptedto be engaged by the patients feet; a pinion rotatably mounted on the base between the inner walls of the pairs; pinions carried by the rollers inter'- meshingwith the first mentioned pinion, whereby when one roller is being rotated by the patients foot in one direction the other roller will besi-` multaneously rotated in the other direction; rand a removable cover over the pinions-interfltted between the inner walls of the pairs. A

4. In combination with'a device as set forth in claim 3, bars extending between the walls ofeach pair substantially level with the tops-of the rollers for holding the patients heels engaged with the rollers. *A MANFRED BROBERGr;Y 

